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THOMAS VILLAGE BAPTIST CHURCH
Jesus for Unity...That they all may be one. John 17:21 Newsletter May 2016
Mike Sampson, Interim Pastor
Jesus walked on the earth in perfect unity with his Father's will. He did whatever he saw the Father doing and he destroyed the
works of the enemy everywhere he ministered. He was God made flesh. Can it get any better than that? Yet, Jesus prayed a
prayer at the end of his earthly life that has yet to be answered. At his last supper with his disciples he prayed a prayer for all
who would believe in him: "that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be
in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me." (John 17:21) It would seem that in the very beginning of the
church there was that unity Jesus prayed for. As they waited for the Holy Spirit to fall on Pentecost, Acts 1:14 tells us: "These
all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer." However, before the rest of the New Testament books
were written, we hear of lots of factions and divisions and doctrinal arguments. Letters to the different churches were often
written to address conflicts.
Christians at Odds
And in the centuries after that? How many ways have Christians sub-divided themselves? How many denominations and splits
do we have? How many doctrinal positions abound on basics such as communion and baptism and the use of the gifts of the
Holy Spirit? So what's up? Did Jesus miss it somehow in his prayer? Should we slip this one under the rug and forget he ever
uttered it? NO WAY. Jesus' prayer for unity is truly one of the great prayers of the Bible. It holds a particularly honored spot
because it was himself, the great I AM who spoke it. And make no mistake - this prayer will be answered. At least twice in his
prayer Jesus repeated himself by emphasizing WHY unity is important. In Verse 23 he pressed again what he said only a few
sentences before: "that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me."
Unity - Tool for Evangelizing
In truth, unity is a tool for evangelizing. Unity promotes the gospel more than we can understand. That's probably one of the big
reasons the early Christians were said to be turning the whole world upside down. (See Acts 17:6) But here is another thing
about unity: unity is hard! The very root of our fallen rebellious and selfish nature discards unity. To top things off, there is one
who is in perfect agreement with our disagreements. Satan fans any flames of disunity that he can find. He has also read the
scripture and he knows the prayer. He knows that when unity occurs, his kingdom suffers. His strategy is to bring disharmony,
suspicion and bickering. Jesus never uttered a prayer that will not ultimately be answered. The answer is on the way and since it
has taken so long so far, we can surmise it will be an answer beyond what we can think or imagine. It's a GREAT PRAYER and
it will have a GREAT ANSWER.
Answer Coming
First of all, there is a visible church and an invisible church. True disciples of Jesus Christ reside within all the different denomi-
nations and traditions and cultural distinctions present in Christianity. Beyond doctrinal distinctions there is a deeper conviction
which resounds in believers everywhere: "This I command you, that you love one another." (John 15:17) Every time love
triumphs, unity trumps disunity. Incredibly, for over two thousand years there has continually been a stream (even if sometimes
a small one) of the great unity Jesus prayed for. It is present during great revivals when believers band together to present the
gospel. It is present when people pray together even if they are from different churches. It is present when Christians decide on
joint missionary endeavors and give to mission projects other than their own. We do not yet see the visible and the invisible
church of Jesus Christ becoming one. But the time must be close because the Second Coming of the Lord is fast approaching.
The final great outpouring of the Holy Spirit is imminent. What will make the world turn in unprecedented numbers to call on
the name of the Lord? According to the prayer of Jesus, unity is a key. It is what will make the world realize who he is and why
he came. It will testify about him and cause people to accept his love. Many feel we are in the generation where "this gospel of
the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come." (Matthew
24:14)
If you desire to be on planet earth when Jesus' prayer is finally answered in full, could there be a greater cause to unite around?
The main focus of
revival services is not to win the
lost to Jesus, but to do spring
cleaning for the believer. Allow
He, the Holy Spirit, to replace
your “filter” and clean your
“globes”. Clean your “windows”
before you judge your
neighbor’s laundry, and if you
find it to be dirty, remember
what Jesus instructed us to do in
regards to that neighbor. My
daily verse and daily prayer has
been this for years now: “Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and
renew a right spirit within
me.” (Psalm 51:10)
Revive us again!
Kay Jessee, Deacon
That time of year has rolled
around again, that “spring
cleaning” thing. Now is the time to
mothball the fireplace, closet the
extra quilts and heavy coats, and
clean out the dirt that has
accumulated over the winter
months. I was quite surprised when
I found that my three-month
furnace filter looked like it had six
months of dust and lint collected
on its surface. I was even more sur-
prised when my wife cleaned the
light fixtures in the living room,
flipped the switch, and gave me
momentary blindness from the
brilliance of the bulbs now shining
through crystal clear globes. I
mean, really, it hadn’t been that
long ago that the furnace filter had
been changed and the globes had
been cleaned, had it? I was totally
unaware of how dim the lighting
was becoming and how dirty the
filter was. I then recalled the story
of the woman who was critical of
her neighbor’s laundry that was
hung on the clothesline every
week, commenting to her husband
that her neighbor should be
ashamed to hang out clothes that
were still dirty. One day the wife
looked out and commented on how
clean the neighbor’s laundry
looked that day. Imagine the look
on her face when her husband told
her that he had cleaned the
windows, and the dirt had been on
her windows all along, not on the
clothes!
In our spiritual lives “dirt” can
accumulate while barely passing
notice. Little by little, self tends
to push down and quench the
leading of He, the Holy Spirit,
making us vulnerable to tempta-
tion and the “wiles of the
devil” (Ephesians 6:11). The
“dirt” can also be called “self”, a
gradual covering that we are not
even aware of. When we allow
self to rule everyone suffers,
from our closest family member
to our most casual acquaintance.
We forget the commandments of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
to love God with all our heart,
soul, strength, and mind
(Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:27)
and our neighbor as ourselves.
“And above all things have
fervent charity [love] among
yourselves: for charity [love]
shall cover the multitude of
sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
Food For Thought-Spring Cleaning
Page 2 Thomas Village Baptist Church
Talented Students
Emilee Jerrell has enjoyed her first year with the Rye Cove High
School Band. She participated in her first half-time show entitled
“Celtic Celebrations”. On December 12, she participated in the
All-District Band Auditions held at John Battle High
School. Within the entire 7th district, Emilee was 3rd chair
clarinet in the Junior Symphonic Band. Because of her placement
in the all-district band, she qualified to place 2nd chair clarinet in
the junior all-county band. Last week, Emilee enjoyed her first
band trip to Williamsburg, Virginia where the junior band placed
1st in their division and the senior band also placed 1st. Currently,
Emilee is practicing her solo piece for the upcoming Solo and
Ensemble judging on May 10. Emilee looks forward to the next
few years of band and hopes to continue growing in her music.
Emilee is the daughter of Scott and Allison Jerrell.
Page 3 May 2016
Be sure to check out the next issue for more
talented band students from TVBC!
Tyler Starnes is a Freshman at Rye Cove High School and a
very talented member of the RCHS Band. Tyler has had
many accomplishments during the 2015-2016 school year.
During the marching and competition season, Tyler was the
featured soloist for their field show piece entitled “Danny
Boy.” playing the Mellophone. Tyler’s main instrument is
the French horn and his performance this year confirms his
hard work.
All District Senior Band 3rd Chair
ETSU HonorBand 1st Chair
All Scott County Band 1st Chair
Virginia Tech Honor Band
Tyler also served as section leader this season. He is the son
of J.C. and Freda Starnes.
Page 4 Thomas Village Baptist Church
12-Jun Michael & Valerie Hammonds
16-Jun Scott & Allison Jerrell
23-Jun Keith & Jessica Roach
26-Jun Ron & Carol Edwards
3-May Betty Carter
4-May Rowena Black
5-May Sally Grebe
10-May Yvonne Edwards
13-May Lou Baxley
13-May Betty Carter
17-May Jimmy Edwards
18-May Rhonda Smith
18-May Margaret Wheeler
19-May Madison Smith
24-May Addison Nash
24-May Emily Ward
27-May Glenda Osborne
28-May Tyler Hass
30-May Tommy Mullins
30-May Matt Smith
31-May Freda Starnes
4-Jun Carroll Osborne
5-Jun Ken Flanary
8-Jun Candice Collier
9-Jun Heather Osborne
10-Jun Keith Roach
11-Jun Danny Rhoton
16-Jun Susan Carter
18-Jun Wayne Bledsoe
18-Jun Santana Adams
19-Jun Jerry Legg
21-Jun Judy Legg
21-Jun Kristin Smith
22-Jun April Stapleton
27-Jun Jean Rasnic
29-Jun Scott Jerrell
30-Jun Ron Edwards
3-May Bill & Debbie Aistrop
22-May Larry & Sharon Collier
25-May Ken & Pansy Flanary
28-May Chris & Candice Collier
28-May Cheyenne & Heather Osborne
30-May Keith & Lou Baxley
30-May Wayne & Tammy Bledsoe
Page 5 May 2016
Page 6 Thomas Village Baptist Church
LIFE LESSONS None
MEN Paul Arwood
Bill Bowen
Jimmy Edwards
James Hartsock
Rick Holland
Jay Keck
Kent Lawson
Keith Roach
Dale Taylor
Chet Wheeler
YOUNG COUPLES None
YOUTH Kayla Chambers
Seth Chambers
Frank Pennington
Trey Pennington
Connie Smith
Emily Ward
SUNDAY SCHOOL PERFECT ATTENDANCE-APRIL
PAIRS & SPARES Pauline Berry
Kay Jessee
Adam Miller
Phillip Smith
Page 7 May 2016
WOMEN Debbie Aistrop
Linda Arwood
Ruth Bowen
Mozelle Carter
Yvonne Edwards
Sally Grebe
Sabrina Holland
Sharon Holland
Ruby Keck
Nathaniel Smith
Rhonda Smith
Hazel Stanley
Wilma Tomlinson
Margaret Wheeler
SUNDAY SCHOOL PERFECT ATTENDANCE-APRIL
Page 8 Thomas Village Baptist Church
Page 9 May 2016
Page 10 Thomas Village Baptist Church
Hebrews 11:8-12
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And
he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign
land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to
the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to
conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore
from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many
as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”
By Abram (later changed by God to Abraham) leaving his own nation of Ur, which was
one of the most powerful and wealthy in the known world (Gen. 15:7) to start and become the
father of nations and the one through whom all families (nations) would be blessed clearly
means that this blessing would come through the Promised Seed, Jesus Christ. We can imply
that when God said “all families of the earth shall be blessed” that nations are simply families
grown large (Genesis 12:3). How hard would it be for you to leave your family, your city, your
state, your nation, your work, and everything familiar to you…including your job which would be
leaving your financial security.
Abraham personified “the just shall live by faith,” and as such was the prototype of living
by faith. He moved by faith, he left (Ur) by faith, he left family by faith, he went into the
unknown and unseen by faith, and God’s covenantal theme, beginning with Noah and reiterated
in Abraham’s faith, will be seen throughout the entire Bible. Just how full of a realization of the
comprehensive nature and world-encompassing blessing that this covenant would come to be
would not be fully known for thousands of years. Paul, in striking a blow against the Judaizers,
brilliantly “linked the past with the present” in Galatians 3:7-8 show that Abraham was saved by
faith and that “those who claimed to be his children” was not enough because the fact that “all
nations shall be blessed through Abraham” (Gen 12:3) is about grace and not race. Paul was
adamant about dropping the boundary markers that inevitably provoke divisions between the
Jews and the Gentiles.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/04/23/5-inspirational-bible-stories-with-short-summaries/
Do You Have Faith?
Revival 2016
Garry Edwards returned to TVBC as our special guest for Revival 2016. We averaged
around 85 each night. The special Youth Night on Wednesday, attracted a crowd of 139
with around 90 youth from area churches. The crowd enjoyed music from the TVBC
Praise Band and also enjoyed pizza before the service. Blessings to Garry and Sarah.
Page 11 May 2016
H.O.P.E. Christian Ministries
321 Mechanic Street
Duffield, VA 24244
276-431-0331
www.hopecm.weebly.com
Donna Brown,
Center Coordinator
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
SUNDAY
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Children’s Church 11:00 a.m.
Evening Worship 6:00 p.m.
AWANA-(Sept-May) 5:00-7:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Bible Study 7:00 p.m.
Youth Group (Grades 8-12) 7:00 p.m.
KIDZ Club (Grades K-7) 7:00 p.m.
DEACONS Paul Arwood 431-2666
Otis Bowen 431-2622
Scott Jerrell 940-1261
Kay Jessee 431-2751
Frank Pennington 423-579-2918
Phillip Smith 431-2757
Please visit our web site at www.thomasvillagebaptistchurch.org for a full
calendar of events, weekly bulletin, sermons on audio and much more!
CONTACT US: CHURCH PHONE: 276-431-4101
Email: [email protected]
INTERIM PASTOR MIKE SAMPSON
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 423-967-2431
Disclaimer:
Every effort is made to ensure that all submitted articles, pictures, items, etc. are included in the newsletter. Any omissions or reporting errors are unintentional. Please let me know if there are errors or omissions that need to be corrected and it will appear in the next issue. Thank you.
Melissa Pennington, Editor [email protected] or text 423-579-2921